A fourth firefighter has died from injuries sustained while battling a wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border last month. Nathan Matthews, 43, died Friday from burns he suffered when he and other firefighters were caught in a burnover, the federal Interior Department announced Saturday.
Matthews was part of a Helitack crew deployed to Mesa County, Colorado, on June 27. Helitack crews are typically dropped by helicopter into remote areas to combat new, rapidly expanding fires. During the incident, the firefighters were enveloped by the fast-moving wildfire, which closed off all escape routes. They deployed emergency shelters in an attempt to protect themselves from the flames.
Three firefighters—Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson, 26—died at the scene. Matthews and another firefighter were transported for medical treatment following the incident. The condition of the other injured firefighter has not been updated.
U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy called Matthews' death "another heartbreaking loss for our wildland fire family." Memorial arrangements for Matthews have not yet been announced. The three firefighters who died at the scene were honored at a memorial service earlier this month.
Matthews, who was from Lincoln, Nebraska, is the second member of the U.S. Forest Service's Helitack crew to die from the incident. The western United States has experienced numerous large fires this summer, fueled by dry weather, low snowpack in some regions, heatwaves, and unpredictable winds. Firefighters are also monitoring worsening fires in Oregon, including one near Bend that is a concern due to its proximity to populated areas.